Thompson takes over reins, steers USC to victory

Quarterback Dylan Thompson, a former Boiling Springs standout, leads the Gamecocks to a 27-17 victory over rival Clemson in just his second start of the season.

By MATT CONNOLLY matthew.connolly@shj.com

CLEMSON — South Carolina quarterback Dylan Thompson had experienced limited game action earlier this season when Connor Shaw was shaken up, but nothing near what he faced Saturday night at Clemson.His only previous start was in a home game against East Carolina, and he had completed just eight passes on the road in his career — all in a blowout loss to Florida earlier this year.Thompson certainly had the odds stacked against him starting in place of an injured Shaw and playing in front of a raucous sold-out crowd at Death Valley, but he proved to be up to the challenge and then some, leading USC to a 27-17 win as Carolina earned its fourth straight victory over the Tigers.“He was the difference in the game,” Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said. “We couldn't disrupt him. He threw the ball incredibly well.”The Boiling Springs product passed for 310 yards and threw three touchdown passes while helping Carolina convert 11 of 21 on third down and keep Clemson's high-powered offense off the field. The Tigers managed just 59 plays and 328 yards of offense. Thompson said after the game the third down conversions were key.“It was wide open every time we had a third down,” Thompson said. “It was just a great called game. It was huge to keep their dangerous offense off the field.”While Thompson did plenty of damage with his arm, perhaps the biggest play of the game was made with his legs.With the Gamecocks leading 20-17 and facing third-and-19 at the Clemson 26, Thompson scrambled for 20 yards on a quarterback draw to keep the drive alive.Moments later he found receiver Bruce Ellington in the back of the end zone to give Carolina a 27-17 lead with 4:17 remaining.“I was expecting a zone defensive look, but they were in man. Since the receivers were blocking great downfield I just took off,” Thompson said. “It was just a great play call by coach. I just tried to get the first down and get us a win.”USC receiver Ace Sanders said Thompson did a great job of keeping the offense focused throughout the game.“He was a leader. He was a captain out there,” Sanders said. “He kept everybody calm and he was just a leader out there. We knew what he was capable of so we just followed him.”Thompson said one of the keys to his success was the number of reps he got this week in practice.USC head coach Steve Spurrier said the decision was made on Wednesday to start Thompson and the sophomore said he found out Thanksgiving Day.With the knowledge that he was starting, Thompson said he felt comfortable going into the game.“In the Florida game, I felt like I didn't really get comfortable until the end of the game. Since I got most of the reps in practice this week, I wasn't really nervous at all,” Thompson said. “The more reps you get in practice, the better you're going to be.”The win was extra special for Thompson because of bragging rights within his own family. His sister is a Clemson graduate.“My sister graduated from Clemson so you have no idea how good it feels to get this win,” Thompson said. “It's so crazy to see how God works things out.”

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